Efflorescence
by MightHaveSecrets
Summary: Lily Evans begins her seventh year at Hogwarts with some trepidation. A coming-of-age fic that explores Lily Evan's journey through Hogwarts: her friendships, her experiences, and her relationships with those closest to her. This is a mostly-serious look into how these crucial months may have unfolded, with a commitment to be as close to canon as is possible with Marauder-Era fics
1. Chapter 1

Very little happens in Cokeworth. At least, nothing ever happened in Cokeworth when Lily was around. It seemed as if time stood perfectly still during the summer months, and moved impossibly fast the rest of the year. Summer vacation has come and gone, yet Lily felt as though she'd spent a lifetime watching the clouds roll by.

Lily contemplated this as she sat on the porch step of her childhood home sipping her too-hot cup of tea. The sun beat down on her shoulders, reminding her that her choice of beverage was not weather-appropriate, but even though it burned her throat and flushed her skin she sipped it pensively. Nothing happens in Cokeworth, except each time Lily returns she finds it unrecognisable.

"Lily, are you ready to leave?" Her father nudged her as he passed, dragging her luggage to the car.

Am I? Lily wondered absently.

"Be right there!" She called out to her father, grimacing as she swiftly finished her tea. Her mother swept the cup from her hands as she made her way into the kitchen.

"I've got that," her mother smiled, "you're going to be late."

Lily hugged her mother tightly. "I'll miss you."

Her mother squeezed her a little tighter. "And I, you, my Lily-flower. Now don't keep your father waiting." Lily released her mother and glanced to the stairs where Petunia stood haughtily.

"I'll see you at Christmas, Tunie." Lily said awkwardly.

"So soon?" Petunia scrunched her nose and walked back up the stairs.

Lily couldn't help but compare this departure to her first time leaving for Hogwarts; Her mother cried, her father carried her luggage all the way to the train, and Petunia clung to her at the station, begging her not to leave. How had time changed them so completely? Luckily, Lily's burgeoning melancholy was quickly interrupted by the loud honking of a car in the driveway.

"That's your father, dear, you better get going." Her mother kissed her hurriedly on the top of the head and all but pushed her out the front door. "Don't forget to write!"

Lily waved to her mother as she jogged to the car where her father waited. He honked merrily as they peeled out of the driveway, making Lily laugh.

"The neighbours are going to think you've gone mad," she said.

Her father grinned down at her. "Perhaps I have."

King's Cross Station looked the same as it always did. Bright and bustling, the sounds of feet shuffling and trains blowing their horns nearly drown out the low chatter of the crowd. Lily elbowed her way through until she managed to find an unoccupied bench not too far from Platform 9 ¾. Today was September 1st, and for the past six years Lily had eagerly awaited the train right on the platform, accompanied by her parents and her sister. This year, however, Petunia had an oh so urgent appointment she needed her mother to drive her to, and her father was running late to a meeting, so instead she sat on a bench and she observed the muggles going about their business.

She winced in sympathy when a man dropped his briefcase painfully on his toe, and nearly laughed out loud when a doting grandmother pinched her granddaughter's cheeks a little too enthusiastically. She watched a girl her age tearfully saying goodbye to her parents. Her uniform and luggage tag indicated she too was headed off to boarding school. Lily stares after them for a long while, wondering how her life would have been if she hadn't been born a witch. Maybe her family would have come this year, too.

Lily wiped an errant tear away from her face and stood up quite suddenly. Enough feeling sorry for yourself, Lily. Some moody monster had grabbed control of her, apparently. Lily made her way quickly now to the platform where the Hogwarts Express waiting patiently for its passengers.

"Lily!" A familiar voice called out to her the second she stepped within view of the platform. Lily took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she was happy to be here.

"Marlene! It's been ages!" Lily hugged Marlene tightly. Marlene grabbed Lily's luggage and headed towards the train.

"You sure waited until the last minute; Mary and I have been here since ten!" Marlene said.

"You saved me a spot anyway, didn't you?" Lily teased.

"You know me, ever forgiving." Marlene stuck her tongue out at Lily as they boarded. "You should see Emmaline's new haircut, it looks amazing." Marlene was right, Lily noted, as they approached the compartment her friends had snagged near the front of the train. Emmaline's long dark locks had been cut to a neat bob that curled around her cheeks.

The girls all squealed and said their hellos when Lily and Marlene entered the compartment. Each girl had grown up a little over the summer, Lily noted absentmindedly. They were all legal adults in the wizarding world now, but Lily still felt like a child. Dorcas had lost her father this summer, Lily knew, so she held onto her just a little longer than the others. After a short period of gossip and catching up, Lily excused herself to head to the prefects' meeting, which she would be heading alongside the Head Boy.

Apparently the universe had a sense of humour, because she bumped into him quite literally on her way to the very front of the train.

"E-Evans!" Potter straightened his glasses, which she had knocked askew. "I don't know if you heard-"

"You're Head Boy, yes I know. Remus owled me." Lily said, kneeling to pick up her notes for the meeting. "Merlin knows what Dumbledore was thinking." Potter ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

"Yeah, well, it came as a surprise to me too. Mum cried when she saw the letter." Lily looked up at him.

"Well I certainly hope you'll take it seriously, because I do." Lily stood and handed him a the notes she had made for him. Potter opened his mouth to speak, but Lily interrupted him. "I'll lead this first meeting, since you weren't a prefect and haven't been to one yet, but I'll expect you to put forward equal effort in the future." Potter nodded slowly, eyes scanning her notes. She walked past him into the Prefects' compartment without another word.

It's going to be a long year.


	2. Chapter 2

"Comments? Questions? Concerns?" Lily shuffled her notes as she moved to conclude the meeting.

Most of the students shook their heads, save for a seventh-year Hufflepuff boy.

"I have one concern," Bertram Aubrey began, "everyone knows you and Potter don't exactly get along. Do we have to worry about our head students fighting all the time?" The rest of the prefects murmured amongst themselves, and a few nodded their heads in agreement. Lily got the feeling many of them were thinking the same thing but were too afraid to voice their concerns. Lily caught Remus' eye briefly, but he just shrugged at her. Lily opened her mouth to answer.

"I-" Potter laid his hand firmly on her shoulder, cutting her off.

"I understand that many of you don't understand why Dumbledore chose me to be head boy, but I promise you I take his appointment very seriously. Besides," Potter added, "I'm sure there's no doubt in your minds that ol' Evans here can whip me into shape." He nudged Lily cheekily, while Bertram nodded his head seemingly satisfied. Lily smiled tightly as some of the prefects laughed.

"Well if that's all, I'll adjourn this meeting until we all meet at the end of the train ride. Don't be late please!" The prefects shuffled out, chatting amongst themselves.

"Potter, a word, please." Lily said sternly. Potter turned as he was leaving, and shrugged. Once all of the prefects had left, she closed the door behind them. "Do you always have to do that?" Lily said with exasperation.

"Do what?"

"Oh don't give me that. You never give up an opportunity to embarrass me." Potter's eyes widened.

"Embarrass you? Lily I didn't-"

"Implying that I'm some uptight swot who'll keep you in line? In front of everyone?" Lily gestured to the now empty room. Potter raised an eyebrow at her.

"Evans, you're awfully red, are you okay?"

Is he bloody teasing me?

"Of course my face is bloody red, I'm angry with you!" Lily shouted. Potter was, of course, completely unbothered by this based on the way he was just standing there smiling at her. "Oh just forget it," Lily sighed, "I'll see you when we get to Hogwarts." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked out of the compartment.

Wanker.

"Evans, wait up!" Lily was barely two steps out of the prefects compartment when a voice called to her. She stopped and turned around.

"Hello, Bertram. You know I've told you to call me Lily." She smiled at Bertram as he jogged up to her. "What can I do for you?" He looked down to the floor.

"I just wanted to make sure I didn't upset you, you know, with my question." He met her eyes. "You know it's not you I'm concerned about, really." Lily nodded her head, and gestured for him to walk with her towards her compartment.

"No of course not, I'm glad you brought it up." Lily stopped again and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I want to be clear that all of the prefects are welcome to bring their concerns to me or Potter, no matter what they are," she said. Bertram smiled at her brightly.

"Will do, Lily! Thanks for understanding. I'll see you in a few!" Lily bid him goodbye and made her way back to the compartment where her friends were playing a rather lively game of exploding snap.

"Mary, your face!" Lily laughed. Mary was clearly losing, judging by her singed eyebrows. Mary reached up to pat her bangs down.

"I know, I know, I suck" Mary stuck out her tongue. "Let's see you try to beat Dorcas." Lily sat down next to Mary and was quickly drawn into the game.

"So how was the meeting?" Emmeline asked after a moment

"It was fine." Lily shrugged. "Potter was infuriating, but I don't know what I expected," Dorcas and Marlene shared a look. "What?"

"It's sort of sweet, don't you think?" Marlene asked tentatively. Lily gaped.

"Sweet? You think Potter tormenting me is sweet?"

"Well he's fancied you for such a long time-"

"Not this again." Lily interrupted. "He just says that to rile me up, he doesn't actually fancy me." Lily leaned back in her seat, the game forgotten between them. Marlene shrugs and mirrors Lily's position.

"Let's talk about something else?" Emmeline suggested.

"Yes let's." Lily agreed.

* * *

The rest of the journey passed quickly, and Lily was grateful to be in the presence of her friends. Much of the melancholy that had been haunting her had been lifted, and she found herself smiling and laughing much more than she had in weeks. By the time the train reached into its destination, Lily felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She waved goodbye to her friends and made her way to the front of the train to meet the prefects and to lead the first years to Hogwarts.

Lily loved this part. Watching the first years take in Hogwarts' mystical beauty for the very first time makes her feel like she's experiencing it for the first time right alongside them. She'll always treasure that moment when she first caught sight of it, marvelling at the impossibly large castle glimmering and practically screaming welcome home. Lily didn't really feel like a real witch until she saw that castle. Lily snapped out of her reminiscing when she spotted Remus and a few of the other prefects already waiting at the front of the train for her.

"Wotcher Remus," Lily said. "Though Potter would be with you."

"He went to find you, actually." Remus said sheepishly.

"Oh great." She replied. "I don't particularly want to see him at the moment." Remus looked at her sympathetically.

"I don't think he meant to embarrass you, you know. James tends to stick his foot in his mouth, especially around you"

"I've noticed." Lily said drily. Remus laughed.

"Speak of the devil," he said under his breath. Lily turned to see Potter coming towards them, hair wilder than usual. Probably been running his hands through it like always , Lily thought errantly.

"Evans! I must have just missed you." Potter smiled at her. "I wanted to talk to you, actually. Have a minute?"

"Uh, sure. Remus can you bring the other prefects to go meet the first years on the platform? We'll be there in a moment." Remus nodded and she followed Potter a few metres down the hallway. He stared at her for a long moment, opening his mouth as if he was going to say something but closing it again. He did this a few times before Lily lost her patience.

"Look Potter I don't really have time for thi-"

"I'm sorry." Potter blurted. Lily blinked at him.

"You're…"

"Sorry," he repeated. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I spoke without thinking, and I'm sorry." He was looking straight into her eyes, and Lily was surprised with how sincere he looked.

"Oh. Well, uh, thank you." She replied. Potter shot her a small smile, and motioned towards the front of the train.

"Shall we?" Lily nodded and followed him out to the platform where Remus and the other prefects were wrangling the first years. Well that was bizarre, Lily thought. She couldn't remember a single time he'd apologised to her like that. Lily shook her thoughts off when they approached the group, saving them for another time.

Right now, she had a castle to see.


	3. Chapter 3

After all the first years were successfully wrangled and waiting in front of the entrance to the Great Hall, Lily walked with Remus towards the Gryffindor table. Potter walked beside them, silent for once.

"Never gets old, does it?" Remus asked her.

"They're so innocent and tiny!" Lily exclaimed. "Were we ever that small?" Remus shook his head.

"No, absolutely not." He winked at her. Lily laughed and placed a hand on his elbow.

"It's nice to see you, Remus," she said. Remus returned the sentiment, and he and Potter made their way over to where Black, and Pettigrew were laughing amongst themselves. As Lily passed them, she caught Potter's eye for a brief moment, but the moment passed and she looked away. She found her friends at the end of the table, caught up in a heated debate.

"I'm telling you," Marlene insisted, "it would explode!" Dorcas shook her head rapidly.

"Why would it explode?!" She exclaimed. "It would probably shrink some parts and enlarge others."

"Lily!" Mary said. "Thank goodness you're here. You're the best in charms, what do you think?" Lily pushed her way in between Mary and Dorcas and looked across the table at Marlene.

"Think about what?" She asked. Marlene placed her elbows on the table and leaned in towards Lily.

"If you cast engorgio and reducio on a single object at precisely the same time, what would happen to the object?" Lily laughed.

"This is what you're arguing about? Why don't you just ask Professor Flitwick in class tomorrow?" She suggested. Dorcas rolled her eyes.

"Well of course we're going to ask him, we just want to see who can come up with the closest answer!" She said. "So what do you think?" Lily paused and thought for a moment.

"I don't know. I think it's possible that they might just cancel each other out, and nothing would happen at all, but magic can be so unpredictable, so who can say?" She replied.

"That's why I thought it might explode," Marlene nodded.

"What might explode?" Sirius Black interrupted from a few seats down the table. Lily looked up at him, and saw they'd captured the attention of all four boys, now.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, Black." Mary replied.

"I'm just doing my duty as a concerned student who overheard a group of troublemakers talking about blowing things up." Black said with his hand over his heart, faux-offended.

"Oh that's rich coming from you." Lily replied. "Weren't you the one who blew up the suit of armour that used to be outside the charms classroom?" Black snorted.

"That wasn't me, that was Ja-"

"I don't think it really matters who did it, only that it was probably an accident and they definitely wouldn't do it again!" Potter interrupted loudly. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring the salacious wink Black threw at her. Potter had the audacity to appear sheepish under her gaze. Lily shook her head and turned back to her friends.

"Maybe we ought to test our theory on Black's head." Mary muttered under her breath.

* * *

At the end of the feast, Lily was approached by Potter.

"I was told to fetch you," he said, "Dumbledore wants to see us in his office." Lily nodded curtly, gathered her things, and followed Potter out the door. They walked without speaking for some time, until Potter broke the silence.

"So.." he began, then stopped. Lily looked at him, brows furrowed.

"So..?" She repeated. He glanced over at her, flashing her a small, earnest smile.

"How are you?" Lily almost couldn't believe he was asking her such a mundane question. She'd expected him to ask her out or to tell her some ridiculous and made-up story.

"Er.. good." She replied, searching his face for any hint of mischief. Like this morning on the train, Potter looked entirely sincere. In fact, Lily was sort of struck by how fit he was. She'd noticed before, of course, she wasn't blind , but Potter was actually quite handsome when he wasn't making an ass of himself. Unfortunately, he was almost always making an ass of himself.

"That's.. good." Potter nodded absentmindedly.

They walked the rest of the way to Dumbledore's office in uncomfortable silence. When they arrived, Lily spoke the password aloud ⎯ "Peppermint Toads" ⎯ , the gargoyle leapt aside, and they climbed the spiraling staircase together. The oak door at the top of the stairs was open, leading into the Headmaster's office. Lily had seldom been in the Headmaster's office, but she noted in had not changed in the slightest since her last visit the previous year. The curtains were open, awarding a stunning view of the quidditch pitch, and curious silver instruments were puffing smoke and whirring throughout the room.

"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, please have a seat." Dumbledore greeted them when they entered. "Lemon drop?" Lily declined politely, but Potter took one from the offered bowl and popped it in his mouth.

"How can we help you, Professor?" Lily said. Dumbledore also popped a lemon drop into his mouth, winking at Potter, and clasped his hands together.

"I like to check in on my head students from time to time." Dumbledore said. "How was your first day?"

"So far so good," Potter answered. "Evans has been showing me the ropes." Lily looked at him in surprise.

"That's wonderful to hear. I'm sure Miss Evans will continue to teach you what you would have learned, had you been well behaved enough to be a prefect." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with mirth. Potter shrugged good-naturedly.

"Of course." Lily nodded, a little bemused.

"I won't keep you any longer." Dumbledore continued. "I wanted to pass these on to you and you can be on your way." He reached into his robes and pulled two small iron keys from the inner pocket. "These unlock a private office for head students, which you'll find on the fifth floor-"

"Behind a golden tapestry." Potter winked. Dumbledore was clearly amused by Potter's antics.

"Yes, you'll find the secret office there." He chuckled. "Now off you go." He dismissed them. Lily was the first to thank the professor, take her key, and leave the office. Potter followed closely behind.

"I don't know why he humours you," she said to him.

"Dumbledore finds me amusing." Potter replied with a smirk, running his hand through his hair. Lily thought he was absolutely obnoxious.

"That makes one of us." Lily huffed, and before he can reply, she picked up her pace and left him behind. He didn't try to catch up to her.

_There's the Potter I know._

* * *

Lily woke bright and early, excited to get a head-start on her first day. Mary was already awake, putting on her socks, but Marlene and Dorcas were still fast asleep. Mary looked over at Lily.

"You're lucky you don't have Herbology. You could sleep in like Marlene and Dorcas, you know." She rubbed her eyes. Lily scrunched her nose.

"I don't want to miss breakfast. Plus, I want to start working on the prefect patrol schedule." Lily replied. Mary yawned.

"I should have been smart like you and dropped Herbology," she said. "I'll see you at breakfast?" Lily nodded as Mary shuffled out of the room. Lily got dressed quickly, and as she was leaving she noticed Mary had forgotten her Herbology textbook on her bed. Lily shook her head with a small smile, and placed the book in her bag. Some things never change , she thought. Mary was never a morning person; it made her forgetful. Once, Mary manages to forget her shoes and spent the morning padding around Hogwarts in her socks. Mary didn't even notice until she stepped in some stray dragon blood during Potions. Lily slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the Great Hall.

It was still early, so the Great Hall held only a handful of students groggily eating their breakfast. Mary sat across from Emmeline at the Ravenclaw table, and Potter and Pettigrew were the only seventh years sitting at the Gryffindor table. Lily made her way over to the Ravenclaw table, resolutely not catching Potter's eye, lest he ruin her good morning.

"Good morning, Emmeline." She said. Emmeline looked up from her eggs and beamed.

"Lily! Good morning! It's nice to have you sit at my house table for once," she winked, patting the seat beside her. Lily laughed and sat next to her, helping herself to some porridge.

"You know how it is, Emmeline, there are four of us and only one of you." Emmeline nudged Lily playfully.

"What brings you down here so early? I know you don't have Herbology with Mary and I." she asked. Lily shrugged.

"I wanted to get started on some of my Head Girl duties, and maybe do a bit of advanced reading for some of my classes," she replied.

"Are you sure you aren't a Ravenclaw?" Emmeline teased her. Lily stuck her tongue out at her. The three girls chatted amicably for the rest of breakfast, as more students began to filter in. When they finished, Mary and Emmeline said goodbye to Lily and began making their way to the greenhouses.

"Oh wait, Mary, I almost forgot!" Lily called after Mary, drawing the attention of some of the other students. She reached into her bag and passed Mary her Herbology textbook. "You left this behind this morning," she said. Mary looked sheepish and took the book from Lily.

"What would I do without you?" she said, placing the book gingerly in her bag and waving goodbye to Lily. Lily waved back and started in the other direction, before a voice called out to her.

"Hey Evans, wait up!" She turned to see Potter jogging to catch up with her. Internally bracing herself, she gave him a tight smile.

"I'm a little busy, Potter," she said, turning and continuing her way down the hallway. Potter easily matched her pace and walked beside her.

"Patrol schedule right?" he asked. She looked at him, and started slightly when she saw a shiny badge pinned to his robes: **Head Boy**.

_Oh right_, she thought.

"Yes. I was heading to the head student's office to work on it." Potter fiddled with his tie, making it crooked.

"I'll come help you," he said. Lily shrugged. Seemingly satisfied, Potter moved on to other topics.

"So, I noticed you dropped Herbology from your schedule this year," he said.

"I wanted to focus on some of my more difficult NEWTs," she replied, "like Transfiguration." Potter shot her a small smile.

"Me too. That's why I dropped Divination. Sirius was positively outraged," he laughed.

"So that leaves you with five NEWT level courses?" Lily asked. Potter nodded.

"Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and History of Magic." Lily's stomach dropped. How is it that she and Potter managed to end up with exactly the same classes this year? She gaped at him a moment. He noticed, and he seemed uncomfortable, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Alright Evans?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, looking away. "I have the same classes, that's all." Before Potter could reply they reached the golden tapestry Professor Dumbledore told them about, and Lily swiftly took her key out and turned it in the lock. Glancing back at Potter, she entered the room.

The office was a fair bit larger than she expected. In the far left corner of the room, a small sofa and matching lounge chair faced a small brick fireplace. The far right wall housed a window nook that looked over the courtyard. A round table with two chairs was pushed into the corner on the right, beside two bookshelves, and on their left stood a large oak desk with a single chair. Lily nearly gasped as she entered. It was so cozy and welcoming, and much more than the single wooden desk she thought this office would house. Potter whistled as he followed behind her. Lily went over to the wall by the window to admire a plaque that displayed the names of previous Head Students. She was delighted to see hers and Potter's names inscribed at the bottom, alongside names like Mcgonagall and Dumbledore.

"I didn't know Dumbledore was Head Boy," Potter said behind her, causing her to remember he was there.

"It's not so surprising," Lily said, walking over to the round table and laying out some parchment. "He did become headmaster, after all." Potter sat down in the chair across from her.

"So. What do you need me to do?" He asked her earnestly. Again, Lily was struck by his attitude. He noticed her surprise, and shrugged. "I'm taking this seriously, just like you asked." Lily narrowed her eyes.

"And since when do you do anything I asked?" she retorted. Potter laughed.

"Since now, I guess," he said. Lily wasn't entirely sure she believed him, but she wasn't exactly eager to provoke Potter into being his usual infuriating self, so she passed Potter a piece of parchment and set out to explain the patrol schedule to him. To his credit, he listened without interrupting, and when she was finished he set to work on his portion of the schedule. They worked in a comfortable sort of silence until Potter looked at his watch and informed her it was nearly time for History of Magic. They walked there together, Lily once again surprised by Potter's restraint when he doesn't tease her, or prank her, or ask her out even once. When they reached Professor Binns' classroom on the first floor, Potter surprised her by sitting next to her. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"You're the only one I trust to shake me awake when I fall asleep," he said. Lily gave him an unamused look, ignoring the soft shiver that went down her spine when he leaned into her like that, and faced the front of the classroom. Professor Binns entered shortly afterwards, partway through a lecture on the Giant Wars, not having bothered to wait until he was actually in the classroom to begin droning on. Lily dutifully began taking notes as Potter leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, pretending to snore.


End file.
